Nationals beat Red Sox 10-5 to avoid sweep

BOSTON (AP) Considering the way the first two games went, the Washington Nationals found a reason to leave Boston feeling pleased.

Wilson Ramos hit a three-run double and Ian Desmond a solo homer during Washington’s six-run third inning, and the Nationals beat the Red Sox 10-5 Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

After losing six of their first eight games and misplaying a pair of flyballs and committing four errors during two losses at Fenway Park, the Nationals headed home after an easy win.

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”Leaving now on a positive note,” winning pitcher Gio Gonzalez said. ”We should have a happy flight.”

Tyler Moore had a two-run homer that helped back Gonzalez (1-1), who gave up five runs – four earned – and six hits in six innings. Nationals right-hander Rafael Martin pitched two scoreless innings in his major league debut, striking out his last five batters.

”We just continue to work hard and try to get better everyday,” said Desmond, whose bobble in the series opener led to a run. ”It’s just baseball. It’s crazy. It’ll rack your brain and make your food taste bad.”

Boston starter Wade Miley (0-1) gave up seven runs, five hits and three walks over 2 1-3 innings in his Fenway debut.

”Things unraveled pretty quick on him,” Boston manager John Farrell said. ”They squared up some fastballs to the opposite field and then a couple of sliders that didn’t get to the spot, one to Desmond, one to Ramos.”

Hanley Ramirez hit his fourth homer, a two-run drive.

With the score tied at 2-all, the Nationals chased Miley and had four extra-base hits en route to their six runs. Desmond led off with a home run that hit a billboard above the Green Monster seat in left. After Washington loaded the bases on Jayson Werth’s single and two walks, Ramos knocked out Miley with his bases-clearing double down the left-field line.

”Really the whole outing wasn’t very good,” Miley said. ”I never established the strike zone, got behind in a lot of counts and that’s what’s going to happen.”

Bryce Harper doubled in a run in the first and scored on Ryan Zimmerman’s triple.

Boston tied it with two in the second. Shane Victorino had an RBI single and scored on Sandy Leon’s groundout.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: Washington placed RHP Craig Stammen on the 15-day DL with right forearm stiffness. … OF Denard Span (right core muscle surgery) played seven innings in his first rehab game with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday night. He is expected to play nine in his next one.

Red Sox: Xander Bogaerts was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with a sore right knee. He tested it by running in the morning after a clean MRI on Tuesday. … Farrell said 3B Pablo Sandoval, who left Tuesday’s game with a bruised left foot after being hit by a pitch, ”could have played.”

UP NEXT

Nationals: Doug Fister (0-0, 0.00 ERA) faces the Phillies’ Cole Hamels (0-1, 3.75) for the second time this season on Thursday. Fister pitched 6 1-3 scoreless innings in their last meeting. Hamels gave up a run over seven innings.

Red Sox: They are off Thursday before Joe Kelly (1-0, 1.29) faces Baltimore’s Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0, 0.00) when the clubs open a four-game series in Fenway on Friday.

REMEMBERING TWO YEARS AGO

The game was halted for a moment of silence at 2:49 P.M., when the first of two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon two years ago. The bombs killed three people and injured 260 others.

”I think it’s an extremely worthy pause in today’s game,” Farrell said before the game. ”We’ll pause for that moment and recall where we were at that specific moment.”

Bombing survivors Jeff Bauman and Patrick Downes threw out ceremonial first pitches and other survivors were on the field before the game.